Head chef of both Maison Libanaise and Artemis & Apollo, Teya Mikhael looks back at her childhood to uncover novel flavours for a Hong Kong audience
Teya Mikhael calls Beirut home, yet in Hong Kong, where she has resided for four years, she has undertaken a role as food ambassador for both the nations of Lebanon and Greece.
In late 2021, Teya entered the kitchen of Maison Libanaise as the restaurant’s first Lebanese chef. The new recipes she brought to the menu were her grandmothers and those cherished in a list of Beirut’s top restaurants.
As changes enveloped Artemis & Apollo 20 minutes away in Wan Chai, both in leadership and food, Teya took over as head chef at the Star Street restaurant in mid 2024, cooking a cuisine personal to her.
“I have spent half my life spending the summer in Greece. I don’t have a Greek passport and I do not speak Greek, but this is a place I fell in love with ever since I was 16,” Teya says.
There only exists one other Greek restaurant and approximately a dozen Lebanese restaurants in Hong Kong beyond Black Sheep’s Levantine restaurants, a factor Teya is acutely aware of in bringing the region’s flavours to a critical local foodie scene.
How can one exhibit the strength of a cuisine when competition is limited locally? “It is a hard job to make people understand [Lebanese] cuisine, because it’s a very new cuisine outside of Lebanon.”
For Hong Kong’s small yet food-obsessed Greek community, Teya has found some skepticism in her position as a Lebanese chef cooking Greek food. “It was a big part of my life.”
“As for Greek food, with only two [other] Greek restaurants in Hong Kong, it is hard to bring the real flavours to the table, because Greek food is so product-forward. You need very good Greek yogurt, fat, tomatoes, and cucumbers.”
As Artemis & Apollo underwent its biggest transformation since opening in late 2018, Teya sought to shake up its concept, heading to the roots.
“Artemis & Apollo today is not a space to enjoy refined food, but where you can enjoy a grandfather’s cooking anywhere in Greece who’s just dropped the octopus on the grill. It is real food that people will eat at home.”
“I have been focussed on bringing a delicious Greek taverna to Hong Kong because it simply doesn’t exist here: fresh charcoal grilled fish, really good quality seasonings, and a nice spit for roasting.”
For both restaurants, to represent Greek and Lebanese cuisine, Teya does not cut corners. The chef uses suppliers to import fruits and vegetables and spices from the Middle East.
The sharing concept for both restaurants, an essential facet to the cuisines to best enjoy the flavours, still is a present challenge in educating diners. “The sharing concept [of food] is a concept enjoyed here [in Hong Kong], but our sharing style is a different concept [at Maison Libanaise and Artemis & Apollo].”
“You cannot go to Artemis & Apollo and order the tzatziki and feta and enjoy the meal, nor go to Maison Libanaise and order the pita and a few dips. Our cuisines are built on a big spread, to enjoy every dish on its own on the table.”
To best understand the cuisine, Teya recommends sharing “the trio” of hummus, muhammara, and baba ghanoush, plus the mashewe mshakal mixed grill at Maison Libanaise, and the spit roast chicken, taramasalata, octopus salad, and spanakopita at Artemis & Apollo.
As more Arab and Middle Eastern tourists and business travelers come to Hong Kong for work or play, the Lebanese chef is proud to offer a sanctuary for those seeking a taste of home.
Book your next meal at Maison Libanaise and Artemis & Apollo today here.
